WBRS Sports Blog

Everyone loves rankings, and while it might not be week 1 of the 2008 MLB season, it is the first week of the 2008 MLB Power Rankings for us here at WBRS. So without further ado, here's the list. Obviously how the teams are playing now is a key part of the grading criteria, but I'm also taking into account where a team's ceiling is. Agree, disagree - leave a comment and let us know!


1. Boston Red Sox: Big Papi is just starting to hit... and they're already 14-7
2. Arizona Diamondbacks: Who knows if the kids will keep hitting, but no one can question how good their pitching is
3. Chicago Cubs: Welcome back Derek Lee
4. LA Angels: Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana are making it easier to forget that Lackey and Escobar are still out
5. NY Mets: Lack of power from the two Carloses has to be a concern
6. Milwaukee Brewers: They just got Gallardo back, but now imagine if Sheets could actually stay healthy
7. Chicago White Sox: Not totally sold on them yet, but another week or two of this play and I'll say they're back
8. St. Louis Cardinals: Same goes for this former champ, but I'm even a little more skeptical here
9. NY Yankees: Leave Joba in the bullpen, it's where he belongs
10. Seattle Mariners: Bedard and Putz might be out, but Felix is finally starting to pitch like a king
11. Philadelphia Phillies:Last night's play in the 9th was the first, and probably only time, that Eric Bruntlett will make up for the loss of J-Roll
12. Colorado Rockies: The Coors boys still seem a little hungover from last year's postseason
13. Atlanta Braves: Yunel Escobar is the real deal
14. Oakland Athletics: Somehow they always manage to be competitive
15. Baltimore Orioles: I doubt they'll keep this up for long
16. Florida Marlins: Hanley Ramirez deserves better. Put him in NY and he's just as big as Wright right now
17. Toronto Blue Jays: I give them credit for not letting the Frank Thomas situation linger
18. San Diego Padres: Can't get much better than Jake Peavy, but this team just won't hit in that ballpark
19. Minnesota Twins: A mini Oakland A's
20. Kansas City Royals: They finally have both young pitchers and hitters with talent, and I think they'll hang around for a change
21. Tampa Bay Rays: I like them too, plus they get Kazmir and Garza back soon
22. Cleveland Indians: No way C.C. is gonna stay this bad, right? For the sake of my fantasy teams, I sure hope not
23. Detroit Tigers: Getting Granderson back will really help, but it also means it's time for this team to put up or shut up
24. LA Dodgers: Andruw Jones doesn't look like the best signing does it?
25. Cincinnati Reds: Slow start for Brandon Phillips - or back to reality?
26. SF Giants: Tim Lincecum is a stud pitcher, but he also leads the team in batting average right now! Nothing else needs to be said
27. Pittsburgh Pirates: Nate McLouth is at least worth watching
28. Houston Astros: What happened to Hunter Pence?
29. Texas Rangers: Note to Texas sports fans: enjoy the NBA playoffs cause its gonna be a loooong summer
30. Washington Nationals: New ballpark is nice, can't really say the same about the team on the field right now

Below you will find previews for four of the eight first round playoff match-ups, while the other four can be found on the The People's Sports Blog.

Brian Raab and I, Ragin' Ravi, have collaborated on these previews and would welcome any comments.

Direct Links :

Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets

San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns

New Orleans Hornets vs. Dallas Mavericks

Detroit Pistons vs Philadelphia 76ers

Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards

Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks

LA Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets

(Click the image above to magnify)
Overview:
The Celtics own the best record in the NBA at 66-16 while the Hawks are 29 games worse than that mark. Boston set the record for biggest turnaround from one season to the next after winning just 24 games in 2006-2007 after Paul Pierce missed nearly half the season due to injury.

Behind the leadership of Kevin Garnett and coaching of Doc Rivers and his assistants, the Celtics posted the fourth best scoring margin (+10.3) in NBA history, and the three teams that had better margins all had Michael Jordan on their rosters. On the offensive end, Pierce led the charge with Garnett and Allen not far behind. Also, Rajon Rondo has improved an extraordinary amount this year and is a future All-Star. John Hollinger of ESPN Insider rates Rondo as the best defensive point guard in the league based on his statistics.

Furthermore, the depth Boston has is probably the best in the league. They've had solid production from Posey, House, Leon Powe, and Glen Davis all year, and they added Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown during the season.

The Hawks don't really have a chance.

Prediction: Celtics in 4

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Overview:
The Raptors went just 4-6 in their final 10 games, while the Magic finished 6-4, while resting players as necessary since playoff positioning was not really a question. The Raptors had a better win-loss record a year ago, but have played well this year nonetheless. Toronto features a team with a good offense (100.2 PPG) and a decent defense (97.3 PPG). They have a star in Chris Bosh, a star-in-the-making in T.J. Ford, and a decent bench with Jose Calderon, Jason Kapono, and Carlos Delfino headlining the second unit.

The Magic have had a very good season with 52 wins in the Eastern Conference. Hedo Turkoglu has really stepped up for the Magic, while Rashard Lewis hasn't lived up to his contract. At a very young age, Dwight Howard has shown that he is one of the best players in the league and is probably the best center in the league now that Amare Stoudemire is only playing power forward.

Prediction: Magic in 6

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Overview:
The Cavaliers have not played well since the trade that brought Delonte West, Ben Wallace, and Wally Szczerbiak to Cleveland. The Wizards, meanwhile, have finished the season strong and finally have Gilbert Arenas back with the team. Arenas has only played 19 games this season, but is averaging nearly 20 PPG, though that number is skewed since he did start 8 games.

Furthermore, an interesting stat for both of these teams is that they both allowed more points than they scored. We saw what happened to the Heat last who won over 40 games, but were outscored all season. They got swept in the first round.

Last year, LeBron James was a man possessed throughout the playoffs, until his team faced a dominant San Antonio team in the NBA Finals. That said, Cleveland has really struggled since the trade, while Washington has been playing well.

Prediction: Cleveland in 6

Adam interview "Cowbell Man:"
Adam%20Cowbell.mp3

Adam interviews Gary Cohen:
Adam%20Gary%20Cohen.mp3

Interview with AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick:
AP%20Writer%20%28Mike%20Fitzpatrick%29.mp3

Nelson Figueroa Postgame Press Conference:
Figueroa%20Postgame%20Brandeis.mp3

Nelson Figueroa Exclusive Interview with WBRS:
Figueroa%20Postgame%20Brandeis.mp3
Figueroa%20Postgame%20Exclusive.mp3

WBRS Pregame Report:
Overview.mp3

Willie Randolph Pregame Press Conference:
Randolph%20Pregame.mp3

Willie Randolph Postgame Press Conference:
Randolph%20Postgame%20Conf.mp3

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Video 5
Video 6 (SNY)
Video 7 (Figueroa BP)
Video 8 (Mets BP)

Here are the photos from the game. Keep checking for audio and video from Nelson Figueroa's first Mets start!

When we first posted this video back in February, Nelson Figueroa was just trying to make the Mets out of Spring Training. Now the Brandeis grad is back home in NYC, and back in the majors, starting for the Mets tonight in Shea Stadium against the Milwaukee Brewers!

WBRS Sports has been granted access to cover Nelson's triumphant return to bigs on the scene at Shea Stadium, so check back right here for updates and pictures as the only Brandeis alumnus to ever play in the Major Leagues makes his first start since 2004!

Congrats to Nelson, and Lets Go Mets!